This weekend, my wife will be in Houston tending to family matters. Please, if you know her, wish her well. I never had any sort of close relationship with my parents, but I can imagine that it is a painful ordeal to see them ill if you do. So, I will be home...just me and the doggies and a stack of scary movies...and my PS3, XBox 360, guitars that are begging to be played...and work. I have editing on two different projects that are not mine as well as the final sprint to finish the 7th book in the DEAD series. So, no...I won't be bored.
But, I might be just a teensy bit lonely. I am one of those guys who likes his "alone" time. I like peace and quiet (since I had very little in the past decade...this is some catch up). However, I will be checking my blog and email more often than usual. SO today seems like a good day to pose a question that will get people talking (I hope).
As an author and an editor, I have a few pet peeves. Now, while I hardly think that my stuff is perfect, I do take pride in how well edited it is when it hits the world. So, here is the chance for you readers--and even other authors and editors--to share. What are some of those groan-worthy things that you see far too often on the page.
Here is mine. And I have to be honest...I was a HUGE offender until I had a writing teacher point it out. Now, it is like that annoying person who chain smoked four packs a day and then quit. Yay for them for quitting, but they can be the worst anti-smoking zealots EVER. (And no...I was not ever a smoker...blech!) I cringe at the "thought to myself" line. Ummm, who else would you think to? That is wasted wordage.
In other stuff, the best commercial on television is the one for +Dollar Shave Club. (The longer version can be seen here Dollar Shave Club if you have missed this little gem.) Now I am a naturally skeptical when it comes to ad claims. This one was no different, but I finally went to check them out. The two-bladed razor is a buck as advertised. But they have the four- and six-bladed for a bit more. For nine bucks a month, I get a six-blade pack that arrives in the mail each month. I keep my head smooth (and my face). So I put it through the paces. I skipped a couple of days to let my stuff get thick. It went through it like buttah! And the blades last just as long as those expensive ones! Also, nothing used to irk me more than for a blade to be useless after one shave. Guys, (and maybe the ladies, too, I don't know) you know what I mean, right. You shave once, then the next time it feels like the razor is plucking each individual hair from your face. And even worse, the shave is such that you are scruffy again in just a few hours...and itchy. So, dudes, if you have been wondering...yes, it is as good as Mike says.
Anyways, have a great weekend. Share some literary peevishness...and wish Denise well on her trip.
